Friday, March 26, 2010

vent

So I hope you don't mind I have to vent about what is going on. It involves this picture above, one of my locations of my business, The Massage Spot in Whole Foods Market South Glenn. It's a new location, opened in June. I've been working very hard since then to build our business while the store itself has built his business. I've purchased all materials. I've fully staffed and maintained constant coverage since we've opened, having to had to pay out of pocket at times to get therapists in. When the store first opened they had started bringing another company in to offer free chair massage during events. Only one time have they invited us to be involved with any events going on. I've maintained communication and offered our services without response. I've had ideas about marketing and signage and been met responses ranging from intense negativity to receiving no response.

With all this our sales have grown 80% to 138% since our first few weeks. Pretty great numbers when you look at it.

Yesterday I was called in for a meeting. I was a bit nervous but always happy for any feedback that will help better my business. This is what I thought was going to happen. I've never really gotten any feedback from the store in all this time so I thought maybe there had been an issue with a therapist working for me that I needed to take care of.

Not what happened. I was essentially fired. The reason given: the store is struggling and another company has proposed a great marketing plan and they are going to go in another direction.

Period. I was never once given any idea or feedback letting me know that there was a problem. Our sales have grown. Slower than I had hoped but imagined that the economy was just a contributing to the slower growth. I opened with the Belmar location 4 years ago so I have some idea of what to expect. Despite the economy my 2 established locations, Belmar and Cherry Creek have had record years in 2009 and 2010 is starting off to beat last year.

I was in shock yesterday. The day was a blur. Today I'm mad. I know life isn't fair but I've worked so hard and put so much money into this to be thrown out for no apparent doing of my own without ever having received any indication that anything was wrong or needed to change seems cruel and unusual. I don't know how to tell the 10 therapists who have been working so hard to help grow this business they are out. The store is going in another direction.

To grow a business that was shoved under a flight of stairs 138% in 9 months seems like quite a success to me.